When you purchase a home and use it as a rental property, you expect the occasional hiccups, like spills on your carpet, and even some increased wear and tear. But for some renters around the country, the cost of renting homes is getting astronomical as unauthorized parties become the norm.
Take one Osceola County homeowner, for example. She says that this is the second time in a month that her property has been trashed by party-hearty renters who use the space to throw wild celebrations, leaving the property a whole lot worse for the wear.
Now, Brooke Dunwoody is sharing her story with Fox 35 in the hopes that officers will start cracking down a bit harder on these unauthorized rental property parties, which officials say are also causing an increase in violent crimes in the area.
While that won’t help Dunwoody, it could help others in the neighborhood moving forward.
Dunwoody’s House Was Previously Trashed Over the Fourth of July
The homeowner had officers out to her home for the second time in nearly a month recently, after she discovered that the people who had stayed in the short-term rental had trashed it. “Apparently, they were doing doughnuts back here,” Dunwoody told a Fox 35 reporter as she showed him around. “They ripped a good majority of our grass.”
Inside, trash was found all over the home, and the furniture had been rearranged to accommodate what she suggested was a “party dance hall” vibe in the home. But it wasn’t just that the home was left a mess; Dunwoody also revealed that the renters had either broken or stolen her glass table, and spilled alcohol on other pieces of furniture in the house.
While the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office told Fox 35 that they were investigating the incident, Dunwoody said she hopes that they will actually do something when they find the people responsible for the damage. “Maybe if they’re being charged for these actual criminal offenses, this will put an end to it,” she said. Meanwhile, officers are still trying to figure out whether the most recent incident is tied to the Fourth of July one in any way.
A Teen Was Recently Killed at a Separate House Party
These parties are doing more than just upsetting homeowners like Dunwoody; they’re also costing some party-goers their lives. According to a June 29, 2026 story from NBC News station WESH 2, a 17-year-old was killed at an unauthorized party at an Airbnb in March.
Just one month later, another teen was killed at a party in another part of the county. Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says authorities will start cracking down on these types of parties, hoping to reduce the death and destruction that comes along with them.
In the meantime, homeowners aren’t left with a whole lot of ways to protect themselves from renters who are just looking to use the space as a party location. While some companies like Airbnb do offer the homeowners some protection and support in these situations, the internet is full of horror stories from people who say that they struggled to get help when they asked for it.